ECOLOGY

Latest News

• Munzur Springs destroyed with excavators 

  The Turkish state uses excavators to destroy the surroundings of the Munzur springs in Dersim, which are a holy place for the Alevi population.
• Fire on Mount Gabar continues to rage for a week 

  The fire that broke out a week ago on Mount Gabar in Şırnak has now spread to a larger area. The authorities have so far made no attempts to extinguish the fire.
• Mining destroys Turkey's nature and people's life 

  In just 7 years, more than 77,000 hectares of forestland have been opened to mining, and 766 new mining tenders will be made. HDP Izmir MP Murat Çepni said the country is being destroyed by mining.
• Mining in Hakkari destroys a cultural heritage of 12,000 years 

  The 12,000-year-old rock drawings of Cilo Sat Mountains, in Hakkari, will be destroyed to allow mining exploitation of the territory.
• State starts fires to turn Kurdistan into a military barrack 

  The Turkish state’s policies of war in Kurdistan target everything from people to nature.
• Civil society supports sit-in against forest fires in Şırnak 

  There is a great rush to the sit-in protest in Şırnak, which was initiated yesterday by HDP member of parliament Hasan Özgüneş against the forest fires at Cudi. Today, women's organizations are taking part, and tomorrow more parliamentarians plan to join
• HDP MP stages sit-in against forest fires in Şırnak 

  In many regions of Northern Kurdistan, forest fires have been blazing since the beginning of summertime, deliberately started by the Turkish military. Mount Cudi in Şırnak is particularly affected by this scorched-earth policy.
• Mayor frees illegally captured birds in Binare Qandil 

  Although there is a ban on bird-catching in the town of Binare Qandil, it is repeatedly disregarded on a large scale. Captured birds confiscated during searches have now been released into the wild by the mayor.
• Jinwar runs project on medicinal herbs with Berlin group 

  Jinwar and Flamingo e.V. - Network for Refugee Women and Children have built up a partner project that focuses on the medicinal herb garden on both sides.
• Urgent call to resolve mounting problems in Hasankeyf 

  With the completion of the Ilısu Dam and the creation of a huge reservoir, conditions in Hasankeyf have deteriorated severely: Local residents face both an immediate crisis of unemployment and very likely significantly diminished income for years to come.
• People protest decision to turn beauty spots into mine sites 

  “These regions are transhumance centers. Thousands of people live here and they won’t stay silent about the destruction of nature," HDP Gever province co-chair Abdulkerim Akdoğan.
• The State is selling the trees it cuts in Kurdistan 

  Tree cutting that started in the previous months in the Şırnak Cudi region continues.
• AKP kills nature and wildlife in Hakkari 

  As in all of Kurdistan, the AKP government continues to kill nature and living beings in Van and Hakkari.
• Works for fifth hydroelectric power plant begin in Zilan 

  The company, which previously built four HEPPs (Hydroelectric power plant) in Zilan Creek, started working for the 5th HEPP in the village of Ağaçören.
• Alevis protest against construction work on Munzur springs 

  The AKP/MHP regime tries to restrict access to the Munzur Springs, which are sacred to the Alevi population, and to commercialise the visit. The Kurdish-Alevi population protests against the project with a "Cem for Unity".
• Dersim: A paradise on earth 

  Known for its high mountains, Dersim is an important and holy city for Kurds with its history and ancient past.
• Forest fires a campaign of ecological destruction in Kurdistan 

  The forest fires in Kurdistan are part of the warfare. Environmental activist Vahap Işıklı speaks of an ecological campaign of destruction.
• Controversial Munzur Springs project has begun to be implemented 

  The Turkish government in Dersim is planning to close the Munzur Springs and redesign them for profit. Alevi society is outraged - and has vowed collective resistance.
• Campaign to preserve the Munzur Springs 

  The initiative "Let Munzur Flow Freely" has launched a campaign to preserve the Munzur Springs. The Turkish government wants to close the source region in Dersim, which is sacred to Alevis, and redesign it in a profit-oriented way.
• Bike tour in Van against ecological destruction in Zilan Valley 

  The HDP Youth Council of Van has protested against the ecological destruction in the Zilan valley by taking a bicycle tour. Four hydropower plants are currently being built in the valley - the remains of thousands of genocide victims would thus disappear.
• Sewage water from Turkish brigade in Hakkari spreads diseases 

  Well over one hundred thousand Turkish soldiers are stationed in the province of Hakkari to fight insurgency. The sewage water from the brigade runs untreated into rivers and streams and causes diseases among the population.
• Village guards cut down forests in Van 

  Village conservationists in the province of Van have started to clear large areas of forest. The trees obstruct the military observation of the city and the radio frequencies, the reasoning says.
• Record number of fires in Brazil Amazon Forest 

  Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE) warned about a 28 percent increase in the Amazon forest fires in July, in comparison to the same period in 2019. 
• Global Witness: 212 environmental defenders killed in 2019 

  Global Witness records the highest number of land and environmental activists murdered in one year.
• Australia's fires 'killed or harmed three billion animals' 

  Megafires ‘one of the worst wildlife disasters in modern history’, say scientists.